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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23624740">Normal</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrashStack/pseuds/CrashStack'>CrashStack</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fics for Rainb0we! [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Five Nights at Freddy's</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Everyone's Supportive, Family, Freddy has ADHD, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Rainb0we's AU, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Doubt, Self-Esteem Issues, Self-Hatred, vent - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:55:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,467</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23624740</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrashStack/pseuds/CrashStack</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do you think there's something wrong with me?"</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Fics for Rainb0we! [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1526105</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Normal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/rainb0we/gifts">rainb0we</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I was finally diagnosed with ADHD, both types no less, just a few weeks ago. Knowing what the problem isn't any better than not knowing. It doesn't make it any easier or better on me. In short, I hate it sometimes.</p><p>B0we's Freddy has hyperactive ADHD, and I've really come to relate to him. So I thought "vent with a character that knows what it feels like" and this happened. Before y'all ask: B0we gave me permission to vent with Freddy.</p><p> </p><p>  <strong>This is not my AU, this is rainb0we's!</strong></p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Do you think there’s something wrong with me?”</p><p>Bonnie nearly cut his finger off from how hard he jerked his hand up from his guitar strings. He whipped his head to Freddy, wide-eyed. The bear was sitting on the edge of the stage, looking down at the worn cube in his hands. The usually perked ears were low and the joyful face was bleak.</p><p>“What?” Bonnie couldn’t help but blurt. He couldn’t have heard that right.</p><p>There was a long pause. Freddy looked back. His eyes were glassed with tears, his mouth strung in a tight, wobbling frown. “Is there something wrong with me?” he asked quietly.</p><p>The pizzeria had long since emptied. The main lights were off, a few lamps scattered around the building being the only things that lit the place, and the doors were locked. Chica and Foxy had gone off to their own corners already. Bonnie usually stayed on the stage, idly tuning his guitar and trying out new songs, and Freddy would skate to one of the arcade games to play it all night.</p><p>But Freddy hadn’t left the stage. Bonnie hadn’t even noticed from how quiet the usual blaring bear was.</p><p>The rabbit gaped at him. “Freddy, where’s this coming from?”</p><p>“Is there?”</p><p>“Freddy…” He set his guitar down on the stage and walked over. Freddy turned his gaze back to his lap as Bonnie sat down next to him. “Why are you asking that?”</p><p>The worn cube was slowly, almost carefully, turned in the formerly flailing hands. Freddy didn’t respond.</p><p>“Freddy, you can’t just drop that on me and then not say anything,” Bonnie said, frowning. The candy eyes were dim, but warm. “Where’s this coming from?”</p><p>A side to the cube was gingerly turned. It clicked quietly.</p><p>“Please,” Bonnie begged softly. His voice sounded close to cracking. The movements stopped. The mismatched eyes widened just so. “Please talk to me.”</p><p>Freddy’s hands clenched around the cube. His bitten frown stretched into a crooked one, his lips quivering while his tears shook in his eyes. “I’m not normal,” he whispered. It sounded like it had been ripped from his throat. “There’s something wrong with me.”</p><p>Bonnie eyed him, confused and wary. “What’d you mean?” he asked, careful.</p><p>The change in mood was so fast. “Isn’t it obvious?!” Freddy exploded, face twisting in anger. Bonnie recoiled from the noise, wide-eyed. “I can’t shut up to save my life, I can’t focus on barely anything at all, I forget the simplest things like what day it is, I can’t control my stupid emotions-!” The cube creaked under his hands. “All I do is talk and bother everyone!”</p><p>It felt like someone had punched him square in the face. Bonnie stared at him, gaping and mortified. He reached for Freddy’s shoulder. “Freddy-”</p><p>The hulking bear jerked away. Bonnie swiftly pulled his hand back; it bumped against his chest. Freddy glared at him with a broken scowl and watery eyes. “You know there’s something wrong with me!” he yelled. “Everyone does! It’s the most obvious thing!”</p><p>The candy eyes stung to a point where they felt sour. “Freddy-!”</p><p>“You’re normal!” Tears started escaping from the soft yellow and blue eyes, droplets darkening the chocolate cheeks. “Chica’s normal! Foxy’s normal! Dad was normal! Mama was normal! Everyone but me is normal!”</p><p>“Freddy-!”</p><p>There were heavy footsteps against the floor tiles. “Wha’s goin’ on?” Foxy shouted from the other room. “Wha’s the yellin’ fer?”</p><p>Bonnie opened his mouth to respond, but Freddy beat him to it. “Just your local idiot being dumb!” he yelled back. His body shook with a shuddering sob. Despite the tears running down his face, he still looked so <em>angry</em>. “Nothing new!”</p><p>Something in the kitchen clanged against a surface. “Freddy?” Chica called. She sounded so worried, almost scared.</p><p>“You know how it is! You all do!”</p><p>Foxy could be heard moving in the other room. “Freddy?” It was an almost hysterical call.</p><p>“I-I-I’m a freak!” Freddy’s voice cracked. The anger on his face was washed away with tears and frustration. “I’m a st-stupid, annoying f-freak! I don’t fit in! A-all I do is t-ta-alk and me-e-ess things u-up, I don’t do a-anything right! You all know that!”</p><p>It was so hard not to touch Freddy. Bonnie wanted to so badly, but he knew that it would just make things worse. It was something they all had to learn as children, that Freddy didn’t like hugs when he was too worked up. He forced himself to tap on the stage instead. The rounded ears perked just so. “Freddy, how about we just take a breath?” he suggested as smoothly as he could.</p><p>Freddy shook his head in short, jerking movements. “I don’t want to!” he cried. His cheeks were dark with tears and the pale blue of his jeans were dotted darkly. “I don’t w-want to be li-i-ike this! I don’t want to be a f-freak!”</p><p>“Freddy, let’s just-”</p><p>The cube toppled from Freddy’s lap, clattering against the floor loudly, as his hands shot up to his head. His fingers tangled in his fur, claws digging into his skin. “E-e-everyth-thing’s wrong!” he shrieked. He ripped and scratched at himself. “I’m wr-wrong!”</p><p>Touching Freddy when he was too worked up was only allowed when he started hurting himself. Bonnie quickly reached and carefully grasped the thick wrists. He could feel the wires under the jacket sleeves working to pull, and it was hard to keep the arms still. <em>Why did Henry make him so strong?</em> “Freddy, let go,” he ordered as evenly as he could. He felt like his circuiting was going to explode. “No pulling.”</p><p>Foxy rounded the corner. The dark yellow eyes widened and flickered brighter. The worry and grimace on his face only twisted further. He bumped into a chair next to one of the tables as he tried to hurry to the stage. “Bonnie, wha’-?”</p><p>A harsh hush. “Foxy,” Chica hissed loudly. He whipped his head to her. She was slowly walking up to the stage. “Quiet time.”</p><p>The fox’s jaw snapped shut with a quiet <em>pop</em>. His tail was tucked tightly against his leg.</p><p>Bonnie was still gently tugging at Freddy’s wrists. “Let go, Freddy,” he repeated, more firm this time. “No hurting yourself, it isn't good for you. You have other things you can grab a hold of, remember?”</p><p>Small, heavy sobs escaped through bitten lips. The tugging stopped, but Freddy didn’t let go. Hissed breaths slipped between clenched teeth, his eyes squeezing tighter. He was quaking. His legs were pressed so tightly together like he would fall apart without bunching up.</p><p>“You’re okay, Freddy.” Bonnie wanted nothing more than to wrap himself around his brother and never let go. “It’s okay.”</p><p>When Chica got close enough to the stage, she bent over and picked up the worn cube. There were grooves all over it from years of rubbing. “Do you want your cube?” she asked Freddy, gentle despite the anxiety curling in her chest. “It’s still okay, it's not broken.”</p><p>The mismatched eyes slowly opened, tearful. He was shaking so much.</p><p>“I c’n get yer keyboar’,” Foxy added quickly. His face was twisted in worry and alert. “Er somethin’ from tha counter.”</p><p>A hard swallow. It felt like there was a boulder in his throat. Freddy’s hands slowly released his fur; Bonnie carefully released his wrists and pulled back. “Cube.” It was a quiet peep.</p><p>Chica held it out to him. Freddy took it with shaky hands, then tugged it back to his chest and immediately started twisting the sides. They clicked quietly as he moved them back and forth. He sniffled harshly. He looked so hurt and ashamed.</p><p>Bonnie rubbed his back. From what he could tell, Freddy was fine with it. “There you go, cubby. Just focus on your cube, okay?”</p><p>A jerky nod.</p><p>The clicking of the cube and the occasional sniffles were the only sounds in the pizzeria. No one said anything. Sometimes talking and touch were just too much for him when he was too worked up, but they never left him alone even though they could only stand helplessly. Freddy had said that it was nice just having them there and close as long as they didn't stare.</p><p>“Do you want a hug?” Bonnie asked after a while of quiet. Sometimes Freddy wanted them, almost needed them, but sometimes he couldn’t handle them.</p><p>Freddy gave a small, silent nod. His eyes were tired, lids low and face mostly slack. Dark tracks stained his cheeks and chin. His fingers and hands had slowed down on the cube to a sluggish idling. He looked so worn out, so exhausted.</p><p>Bonnie scooted a little closer. “Come ‘ere, cubby,” he said softly, reaching an arm around the bear’s wide shoulders. Freddy let himself be pulled into Bonnie’s lap, his head pillowed against the small chest and under the rounded chin. “You’re okay.”</p><p>The sniffle was small and stuttered.</p><p>“Where’s this coming from, cubby?” Bonnie asked again, his voice soft and light.</p><p>Something flashed by the mismatched eyes. Freddy squirmed in Bonnie’s grip. He was looking at his cube as he fiddled with it again, his movements slightly faster.</p><p>“Freddy, you can tell us,” Chica told him, her voice gentle. He peered up at her. Her face was open and warm. “You’re our family and we love you.”</p><p>“Has thar’ ever b’n a time where we weren’?” Foxy asked. He looked a little hurt, but the concern was what everyone could see with ease.</p><p>“No,” came the quiet response.</p><p>“There’s yer answer.” Foxy crossed his arms and leaned against the table. “So wha’ happ’ned?”</p><p>Freddy swallowed. It felt like there were stones in his throat. “U-Uncle William,” he whispered. The title sounded so forced.</p><p>Their faces soured into pinched scowls. “Ugh, him?” Chica asked. She huffed. “I always hated him. He was always so mean.”</p><p>Foxy’s face hardened. “Is it because of wha’ ‘e said abou’ ye when we were kids?” he asked, but he already knew the answer. They all did. They all knew what the nasty man had to say about Freddy.</p><p>Freddy nodded. His eyes slid back down to his cube.</p><p>“Freddy, you know how he was,” Bonnie reminded gently, petting the thick bicep. He knew he was walking on thin ice; talk of William always had Freddy scared. “He was always obsessed with having things his way.”</p><p><em>Doesn’t make it hurt any less.</em> His eyes moved down to the cube again. “Henry said the same thing,” he whispered.</p><p>It was like a firework had gone off. Everyone was hit with blaring alarm bells, their faces petrified in disbelief. “Wha’?!” Foxy screeched, his face screwing up tightly with rage.</p><p>Freddy flinched, distress swallowing him again. Guilt slapped against Foxy’s face, his eyes widening. Yelling was already hard on Freddy, doing that while he was worked up was one of the worst things to do. It was something they all had to learn when they were younger, that their inside voices were a lot more important around Freddy. Foxy yelling, baring his fangs...</p><p>Bonnie started petting his head again. “Hey, hey, it’s okay, cubby,” he murmured.</p><p>“I’m sorry, Freddy.” The fox was twisting his hook idly, his posture drooped and opened. It felt like he had been punched in the stomach from the guilt. “I didn’ mean ta yell.”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Freddy responded. He wished it had come out with more confidence, but it was more of a meek whisper. His expression suddenly withdrew, light fading from the skittish eyes. “S-should I-?”</p><p>“Go on, cubby,” Chica interrupted swiftly.</p><p>The mismatched eyes darted around them, wary. Their faces were open; they were painted with concern and worry. There were no traces of annoyance, just open care.</p><p>
  <em>But what if they-?</em>
</p><p>He rubbed the top of the cube absently. “When we were-”</p><p>
  <em>“I know it’s hard to keep your mouth shut, but just don’t talk about this one thing.”</em>
</p><p>Freddy swallowed. “Moving,” he said carefully. “H-Henry said that I talked too much, and it’s hard to keep my mouth shut.”</p><p>The snarl that came from Foxy sounded like a feral animal. “Gonna keelhaul tha’ bastar’.” His fur was so sharp it could cut through glass.</p><p>Chica’s face was red with fury. “He said what?” Her voice was eerily calm, but rage simmered beneath it.</p><p>Bonnie was sure his jaw would snap off from how hard it was clenching. His whiskers twitched.</p><p>Freddy’s eyes slid around all of them. “Did I say something bad?” he asked. His voice was a fearful, hushed whisper.</p><p>The anger snapped off their faces. Warm concern overcame everything else again. “No, no, cubby,” Chica said hurriedly, her hands waving disarmingly. “You didn’t say anything bad at all.”</p><p>He had to tear his attention off of the swaying beads around the towering chicken's neck. “But you all look mad.”</p><p>“Mad at Henry, cubby,” Bonnie told him. The mismatched eyes peered up. The rabbit’s face was calm and collected, but Freddy knew from the spastic twitching of Bonnie’s whiskers that the other was far from calm. “That was horrible of him to say.”</p><p>Freddy shifted slightly, tucking his face further away. “It’s true,” he mumbled.</p><p>“No, i’s no’.” Foxy looked like he was about to explode into rage, he was shaking faintly and his fur was bristled, but he kept a loving, toothy smile on his face. “Tha’s no’ true at all.”</p><p>“He made me.”</p><p>“<em>We</em> grew up wit’ ye.”</p><p>The cube rotated slowly under unsteady hands.</p><p>“Don’t you think we’d be the ones to say something if it was so true?” Chica asked. She looked almost heartbroken. “We were with you every day. We grew up together.”</p><p>Freddy said nothing. He kept fiddling with his cube.</p><p>“I can hear you thinking even with my floppy ears,” Bonnie said, laughing softly. The bear’s body gave a small hiccup of a giggle. “What’re you thinking?”</p><p>The cube clicked quietly. “Nothing good.”</p><p>“Do you want to talk about it?”</p><p>Quiet. Then, “There was a way to fix it,” Freddy murmured quietly.</p><p>“An’ wha’ was tha’?” Foxy’s jaw clenched tightly.</p><p>“That they could’ve wiped me and made a new Freddy.”</p><p>Freddy felt their stares on him even as he focused on his cube.</p><p>“…I’m gonna fuckin’ kill ‘im,” Foxy snarled, an eerily quiet sound.</p><p>Panic sparked on Freddy’s face. “What?!” he squealed.</p><p>The burning rage on Chica’s face mostly cleared when she smiled uneasily at Freddy. “It’s just an expression, cubby.”</p><p>“One that I second,” Bonnie muttered to himself. He felt like his insides were about to explode from how furious he was.</p><p>Anxiety curled and squirmed in his chest. “H-he was just saying-!”</p><p>“Something so horrible and wrong that he shouldn’t have said it all.” Chica raised a brow at him. “You know what mama would say? She would say that.”</p><p>
  <em>Donttellthemdonttellthemdonttellthemyouregoingtomakeitworseshutup-</em>
</p><p>“Mama and dad knew about it.”</p><p>Bonnie’s grip tightened just so. “They what?” It was so shocked that it came out a whispered squeak.</p><p>Freddy ducked his head down, ears folding tightly. <em>I shouldn’t have said anything.</em></p><p>Chica looked almost sick; a hand was covering her beak. Foxy’s jaw had dropped so low it seemed like it was about to fall off. They both stared at him in disbelief and horror.</p><p>“He said that he and William told them that.” <em>Shutupshutupshutupshutup-</em> His chest felt knotted and tight even as the words spilled out. “He said that they considered it.”</p><p>Bonnie was quivering just so. Foxy looked almost blank in his shock.</p><p>The sickness on Chica’s face was washed away with a stony rage “There’s no way dad and mama considered it,” she said. She sounded so confident despite her former expression. “They might have known but there’s no way they considered it. He’s lying.”</p><p>“But-!”</p><p>
  <em>Someone raised their voice. It was so loud, too loud. Everyone was talking. Suddenly his blocks were clicking together too loud. He tried to cover his ears but it was still too loud. He felt like he was running but that he couldn’t stop. Everything was just so loud and it was scary and loud and-</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Daddy was scooping him up. The touch was like one of his blocks dropping on the floor. “Hey, hey, it’s alright, baby bear,” Daddy murmured. His voice was a light rumble. “It’s okay.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He could smell butterscotch. Daddy always smelled like it, always gave him a piece when he did something good. He liked the smell of butterscotch, but he didn’t really like the smell of the laundry because it gave him a headache. It made him upset, it hurt.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mama was there, petting his head. “Don’t cry, love-bug,” she said. Her voice was so soft and sweet. She smelled like the flowers growing outside. “It’s okay.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He couldn’t stop crying. His body felt like it was going to shake apart.</em>
</p><p>The colors on the cube, the cube that dad gave him, were so worn and faded. He couldn't even remember how long it had been since dad gifted it to him.</p><p>“Mama and dad wouldn’t ever consider that,” Chica repeated slowly.</p><p>A hard swallow. “They could’ve gotten a kid who wasn’t stuck with this stuff.”</p><p>“Freddy, you can’t control any of that,” Bonnie told him softly.</p><p>“That’s even worse!” Freddy cried. More tears pushed down his face. “I can’t control it! I can’t do anything to fix it!”</p><p>Bonnie’s face melted with sadness. “Freddy-”</p><p>The gloom that settled in his chest was so heavy it felt like he was being crushed.  “Nothing can fix it. I can’t be fixed.” His eyes clenched shut, the tears shoving down his face. It was all just too much. “I’m broken.”</p><p><em>“Ye are no’ broken!”</em> Foxy shouted.</p><p>Freddy felt himself jump, faintly heard Bonnie and Chica scolding him, but the quiet yelling in the back of his head was louder than anything in front of him.</p><p>
  <em>“Our son is not broken!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Gordon-”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“End of discussion! If you won’ tell us how to help him, we’ll figure it out. He’s our son and we love him!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He clung to daddy’s shirt. The fabric felt soft under his clenching hands and was wafting with the gentle smell of butterscotch. It darkened as more tears dropped from his cheeks.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Stella, be reasonable-”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“You’re talkin’ about fixin’ somethin’, our </em>baby<em>, that doesn’ need fixin’!"</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“He’s-!”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“Will, why don’t we just give them some time to think about it?”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>“…Fine, but they’ll just get more attached to it.”</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Mama’s hand was gently stroking the back of his head. It felt nice. “We won’ need any time to think about it because we’ve already made a decision. Now unless either of you want me to grab a towel I hung out to dry, git!”</em>
</p><p>“They let me stay,” Freddy whispered, gaping. He hadn’t ever thought about it before, and his memories had gotten so jumbled up after he was transferred to his new body.</p><p>The others had gone quiet at some point. They were all looking at him with sad, but warm eyes.</p><p>“Ye’re no’ broken,” Foxy repeated, his voice a quiet but firm boom. “Ye never were.”</p><p>“You’re just different,” Bonnie added. “Everyone’s different in their own way, cubby. This is your different way, it’s not bad or anything.”</p><p>Freddy sniffled. “But all that stuff… You have to put up with it.”</p><p>A chuff from Foxy. “We don’ ‘put up wit’ i’’,” he mocked. At Freddy’s skeptical glance, Foxy said, “Freddy, we deal wit’ each other tha same. We don’ see ye as somethin’ ta pu’ up wit’.”</p><p>Bonnie’s eyes widened slightly, his whiskers twitching sharply. He smiled down at Freddy. “Remember when Foxy got into Chica’s box of dresses to put one on?” he asked. His finger made circles in the dark fur. “Her bright green dress?”</p><p>Freddy blinked. He thought for a moment, cube twirling idly under his hands. Then he smiled wistfully. “He tore it and Chica got really mad.”</p><p>The hulking fox crossed his arms loosely. The wall was suddenly interesting to him. “I looked good in i’ and tha’s all tha’ counts.”</p><p>“It was my favorite one,” Chica grumbled. The light lilac eyes withered and narrowed with her sour expression. “And you ripped it.”</p><p>“Ma fixed i’.”</p><p>“You still tore it.”</p><p>“Bah.” The pirate waved a flippant hand. “No’ li’e ye can fit i’ anymore anyway.”</p><p>The pale yellows feathers ruffled. “You can’t fit your shirt,” she retorted.</p><p>Foxy snarled at her. “I’s suppose’ ta loo’ li’e tha’!” A light fluster could be seen under the bristling maroon fur.</p><p>Bonnie laughed. It didn’t matter how many bodies they were switched to, everyone would always stay the same. He smiled down at Freddy. “See?”</p><p>The smile on Freddy’s face slowly melted back into a frown. “But Henry-”</p><p>“Henry isn’t the brightest, you know.” Bonnie had to fight from saying it in a scathing tone. “Sometimes he says and does things that he doesn’t mean or aren’t the best.”</p><p>Chica rolled up to the stage. Freddy could remember all the times they would race around the diner, how even though she couldn’t keep up with him after a while that she always kept chasing after him. “We all know that fibs aren’t good,” she said, her crossed arms settling on the wood. “Henry’s dug himself into a big one.”</p><p>Freddy nibbled his lip. He wondered if he would have to get fabric sewn back onto it again. “But…”</p><p>“We don’ tolera’e fibbers, especially when they hur’ our family.” Foxy grinned at him, confident and full of fang. “We set them straigh’ or we push ‘em off the plan’.”</p><p>“You let us deal with Henry, okay?” Bonnie gently patted his arm. “We’ll make sure he doesn’t say anything like that again. If he’s so uptight about it, he can keep it to himself.”</p><p>Freddy gave a small, silent nod.</p><p>“Now that that’s discussed…” Chica’s smile grew brighter and more cheerful. “Do you want some cookies? I was just about to start on them.”</p><p>“…Chocolate chip?” Freddy asked quietly. The mismatched eyes peered at her, wide and hopeful. He had smelled chocolate earlier, but he didn’t want to assume that’s what it had been.</p><p>“Ye<em>p</em>.” She popped the ‘p’ as she reached and lightly pressed the round nose. Freddy couldn’t help but giggle. She pushed off the stage and casually skated across the tiles. “I’ll go get started. They won’t take long.”</p><p>Foxy crossed his arms. “Don’ le’ tha door hi’ ye on tha way in," he muttered, bitter.</p><p>“Don’t let your shirt catch the wind and blow you away,” she yelled over her shoulder as she turned the corner.</p><p>Foxy sneered after her. His fangs were bared under his shuddering lips. He wasn't below running after her and taking her down like he had done when they were smaller. If he could get his teeth around her arm-</p><p>“Foxy?”</p><p>The pirate’s head snapped to attention. Freddy was looking at him, frowning uneasily. Despite his massive size, he looked so small in Bonnie's arms.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“C-can I…?” A hand let go of the cube and grabbed at the air. “Please?”</p><p>Foxy knew exactly what that meant. He walked up to the stage. “Sure thin’, cubby.” He started to climb up, grunting. “Scoo’ yer ass, Bonnie.”</p><p>“I won’t <em>scoo’</em>, but I can scoot,” Bonnie said. Still, he shifted back anyways, carefully keeping Freddy in his arms.</p><p>“Wiseass,” Foxy snipped. A foot scratched at the wood as he pulled himself up.</p><p>The sound had Freddy wincing slightly and his ears twitching. “Henry’s not gonna like that,” he mumbled.</p><p>“Aft’r wha’ he said, I coul’ care less.” The hulking fox sat up. “This stage is so small, how do ye all fi’ on ‘ere?”</p><p>“Magic.” Bonnie smirked at him. "You know when Chica’s done with the cookies, she’ll get up here. You’ll have to share a space with her.”</p><p>“I’ll be fine if she doesn’ get all broody,” Foxy muttered, glancing hotly at where she had gone.</p><p>“Then don’t start anything and don’t touch her stuff,” Bonnie told him flatly.</p><p>“She shouldn’ leave i’ around.”</p><p>“You snoop.”</p><p>“Ye suck.” The hulking fox settled next to them on his belly. “Jus’ don’ pull too hard, alrigh’?”</p><p>Freddy set aside his cube and sat up. Bonnie straightened, but kept a hand on the broad shoulder. “Okay.” He reached and pressed his hands into the maroon fur. It was soft and silky; it smelled like sea salt. A smile curved his lips. “You’re really soft.”</p><p>Foxy smiled and scoffed. “Of course,” he said. As much as he hated baths and the hose, Freddy liked his fur. “Ye thin’ I’d let meself get prickly?”</p><p>Bonnie snorted. “Uh…”</p><p>“Don’ answer tha’.”</p><p>Freddy combed his fingers through the soft fur. He was so quiet, wide-eyed and focused on his movements. Even with Freddy especially getting used to his strength, his touch was gentle. A rumbling purr curled in Foxy’s chest, his ears lowering and eyelids drooping in content, and Freddy giggled as it ran up his hands.</p><p>The dainty lop lightly patted Freddy’s back. “Do you wanna talk about anything?” It wouldn’t erase the situation, but it would help nudge Freddy’s mood up.</p><p>Freddy bit his lip and shook his head. “No,” he mumbled. He knew what Bonnie was trying to do. He wanted to talk, but he just kept talking and talking and talking <em>and it got so annoying and what if they were just-?</em></p><p>“Really?” Foxy raised a surprised brow. His tail swayed idly. “Nothin’ ta tal’ abou’?”</p><p>Irritation flared in his chest. “No,” he snipped. His petting grew a little more firm. “Nothing.”</p><p>Bonnie frowned, alarm spreading across his face. He had made a bad call, Freddy had been doing okay-</p><p>Foxy stared back at him with an almost bored expression. Then, “Wha’ abou’ tha’ game ye’re always playin’ in tha arcade?” he asked.</p><p>Freddy looked over and blinked at him, almost blank with surprise. “Which one?” He had played all of them more times than he could count.</p><p>“Tha’ one ye really, really love.” The tips of Foxy’s fingers drummed along the stage. “I can’ remember the titl’, i’s on the tip of me tongue.”</p><p>It had Freddy thinking, too. Which one was Foxy talking about? “I love all of them,” he said. A pause. “Well, not all of them. Some of them are really bright and loud, which I can handle sometimes, but I can’t play them when I feel shaky because they throw me off.”</p><p>“How many games are in the arcade actually?” Bonnie asked carefully. He was truly curious about it.</p><p>Freddy looked up at him. “Do you want them in order of year they came out or alphabetical? I might mess up on the alphabet, I have to sing it whenever I get past ‘g’. I can do it if you want, it’ll just take longer to tell you how many are there.”</p><p>Foxy stretched out across the stage, yawning. “We’ve go’ all tha time in tha worl’, cubby,” he said. “Whatever ye’re up fer.”</p><p>“I kinda wanna go by year the games came out. I think it’s really weird that I can’t remember the alphabet right, but I can remember the order the games came out. I’m usually bad with numbers, too! Isn’t that weird? Why am I so good at remembering release dates but not the ABC’s?”</p><p>Bonnie leaned back on his free hand. “You tell us.”</p><p>Uneasiness crossed the bear’s face. “I mean…”</p><p>“We’re dying to know!” The petite rabbit beamed at him. “Come on, tell us about the games and the ABC’s.”</p><p>The hesitation instantly  disappeared. Freddy grinned widely at him. “Okay, so…!”</p><p>Freddy’s voice filled the formerly quiet room like water. His hands made patterns and circles in the dark fur as he talked. He bounced from game release dates to the ABC's to things that weren't even related to what they had discussed. There was brightness in the mismatched eyes again, his face beaming with glee and and body lit with movement. Neither of them could barely get in a word to show their interest. Foxy dozed despite the loud voice above him, Bonnie shifting every once in a while he pet Freddy's back.</p><p>A soft <em>ding</em> came from the kitchen.</p><p>Freddy cut himself off as he perked up. “The cookies are done!” He scrambled to his feet, Foxy yelping at the slight pull on his fur and Bonnie squeaking in surprise, wheels catching on the grooves of the stage. “Come on!”</p><p>“Sweet Neptune, slow down!” Foxy screeched as he sat up. He had been having such a nice doze. “They <em>jus’</em> came ou’!”</p><p>“But they’re <em>super</em> radically gooey when they’re right out!” Freddy jogged to the edge of the stage. “I call the first ones!”</p><p>Bonnie and Foxy’s eyes widened in near-sync. “Wait, Freddy-!”</p><p>The tables near the stage shook when Freddy’s feet hit the ground. He straightened quickly and started skating towards the kitchen, squealing. He was practically flying across the floor. He twisted himself around, legs and balance steady. “Come <em>o-n</em>!” he groaned. “You two are <em>s-o</em> slow!”</p><p>Bonnie didn’t think it would be a good idea to bring up the pain in his stomach from Freddy elbowing it in his flight. He smiled despite the resounding ache. “We’re coming, cubby,” he said. He pushed himself up with a small grunt. “Give us a sec.”</p><p>The colorful wheels tapped against the floor as Freddy hopped from foot to foot. “But we don’t have a sec! They’re gonna lose the g-o-o and we’ll never get it again!”</p><p>Foxy rolled off the stage and onto his feet. “Ye know she can jus’ make more, righ’?” he asked, sarcasm tinting the edges of his tone.</p><p>“But these cookies are now!” He pouted. He turned and rounded the corner “I’m going on ahead! Be there or be square!”</p><p>“…Ye thin’ ‘e’ll remember wha’ ‘e was talkin’ abou’?” Foxy asked Bonnie, curious.</p><p>Bonnie slid off the stage. Sometimes he hated how small Henry had made him even as a so-called adult. He winced, hand cradling his belly. “Maybe. We’ll have to see.”</p><p>“Ooh, ‘e go’ ye?” The honey eyes were sympathetic. “He pulled on me fur a bi’, I feel ye.”</p><p>“Yeah, but you know he didn’t mean it. He’s just excited.”</p><p>“I already ‘ave an answer, bu’ do ye thin’ we shoul’ tell ‘im?”</p><p>A sigh. “I don’t wanna send him back into a funk. You know how bad he feels when he does stuff like that.”</p><p>“Thinkin’ tha same thin’.” A biting scowl split Foxy’s face. “Bu’ Henry? Henry said tha’ ta ‘im?”</p><p>The slap of shock still stung. Bonnie’s chest ached with betrayal. Henry had always been the good uncle, the one that was supportive and sweet, the one that comforted them if William had been mean. Hearing that Henry had said that to Freddy…</p><p>“What’re we gonna do?” Foxy lifted up his hook. His grin was dark and sharp. “I say we make ‘im <em>really</em> sorry. No one ‘rts Freddy an’ ge’s away wit’ i’.”</p><p>Bonnie wasn’t entirely opposed to using some force to make Henry sorry, but… “We can talk about it later with Chica,” he said. At Foxy’s crestfallen look, he added, “We’ll do something about it and make Henry sorry, but for now we need to be there for Freddy.”</p><p>Foxy sighed. “Ye’re righ’.” Freddy needed them. Henry could wait later. The honey eyes were dim, anger simmering beneath them. “Bu’… Can ye believe ‘e said tha’? Ta Freddy?”</p><p>“And Henry didn’t tell us because he knew we’d be mad.” It came together in Bonnie’s head steadily. His eyes widened. “<em>That’s</em> why Freddy’s been so nervous around him!”</p><p>“An’ why Freddy didn’ tell us earlier,” Foxy added. His fur bristled sharply. “‘e scared Freddy inta stayin’ quie’.”</p><p>“He <em>guilted</em> Freddy.” Bonnie felt sick. “How could he…?”</p><p>“Guys!” Freddy shouted from the other room. They jumped. “These cookies are so cold and hard I could throw one at you and it’d split your head open! You missed the gooey goodness!”</p><p>“We got it all to ourselves!” Chica twittered highly. She sounded smug. “You guys are squares!”</p><p>Foxy rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah!” he snapped. He stalked past Bonnie. “I’m gonna ea’ them all jus’ ta spi’e ‘er.”</p><p>Color caught the candy eyes. Bonnie looked over and saw Freddy’s cube sitting on the stage. He snatched the forgotten cube. <em>Future crisis averted</em>. “Save some for the rest of us, spite her later,” he said, steadily rolling after Foxy.</p><p>"Fine." A pause. "We <em>are</em> kickin' Henry's arse later, righ'?"</p><p>"Guys!" Freddy whined again. "You're missing out!"</p><p>The cube suddenly felt like glass in his hands. Bonnie looked up at Foxy with hard eyes. "Definitely."</p><p>The shriek of joy Freddy let out when they came into the kitchen only solidified their resolve.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This: <strong>is a vent</strong></p><p>Brain: "Make it look nice because it's sloppy as hell."</p><p>This is just how I feel about <em>my</em> ADHD, this isn't meant to be insulting in any way. I wrote/posted this with permission from B0we and the thought that maybe someone else feels like this. Also the fluff at the end, because family time.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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